Records of the Western Australian Museum 18: 311-315 (1997). 
A new cranioid brachiopod from the Eocene of southwest Australia 
Robert S. Craig 
School of Applied Geology 
Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia 
Abstract - W estralicrania zenobiae sp. nov. is described from the Late Eocene 
Nanarup Limestone in the Bremer Basin of southwest Australia. The genus 
Westralicrania is shown to be a valid taxon, and a revised diagnosis is 
presented. This is the first record of the genus from the Eocene. 
INTRODUCTION 
The Nanarup Limestone Member of the Werillup 
Formation is a yellow and white bryozoan 
calcarenite that reaches up to 5 m in thickness. The 
most extensive outcrop is in the Nanarup Lime 
Quarry, 19 km east of Albany, Western Australia. 
The Nanarup Limestone has a rich, largely 
undescribed fauna, dominated by bryozoans and 
consists, in addition to brachiopods, of 
foraminifers, echinoids, asteroids, crinoids, 
sponges, bivalves, gastropods, nautiloids, crabs 
and shark teeth. Beside the cranioid brachiopod 
described below, there are some eight different 
articulated brachiopods of the order Terebratulida 
present in the unit which are currently being 
studied. 
The fauna of the Nanarup Limestone indicates a 
Late Eocene age, containing foraminifers belonging 
to the "Tortachilla Microfaunule" (McTavish 1966). 
This age is supported by the brachiopod fauna, 
which includes three species described from the 
Tortachilla Limestone in South Australia (Allan 
1940, Thomson 1927). These are Stethothyris 
pectoralis, Aldingia furculifera and Gryphus labiatus. 
Furthermore, McNamara and Philip (1980) 
recorded the echinoid Echinolampas posterocrassa 
from the Nanarup Limestone. This species is also 
present in the Tortachilla Limestone. McGowran's 
examination of the planktonic foraminiferal 
assemblage indicates that the Nanarup Limestone 
Member is definitely part of the Tortachilla horizon 
and correlates with the foraminiferal highest Zone 
P14 and low Zone P15 (McGowran, 1989). 
All of the specimens of the W estralicrania species 
examined and described below are housed in the 
Western Australian Museum (WAM) collection. 
The following measurements were made of the 
inside of the ventral valve (Figure 1); maximum 
valve length (LI), length from posterior margin to 
anterior of median septum (L2), length from 
posterior margin of limbus to anterior of median 
septum (L3), length of posterior muscle scar (L4), 
length of median septum (L5), maximum valve 
width (Wl), width from inside limbus to median 
septum (W2), width of lateral limbus (W3). The 
length of the exterior flattened attachment area (L6) 
and the width of the exterior flattened attachment 
area (W4) were also measured. 
SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY 
Phylum BRACHIOPODA Dumeril, 1806 
Subphylum CRANIIFORMEA Popov, Bassett, 
Holmer and Laurie, 1993 
Class CRANIATA Williams, Carlson, Brunton, 
Holmer and Popov, 1996 
Order CRANIIDA Waagen, 1885 
Superfamily CRANIDIDEA Menke, 1828 
Family CRANIIDAE Menke, 1828 
Genus WESTRALICRANIA Cockbain, 1966 
Revised diagnosis 
Exterior of shell pustulose to spinose; ventral 
valve interior densely endopunctate. Posterior 
muscle scars on slightly raised platforms, anterior 
muscle scars in shallow pits. 
Remarks 
Lee and Brunton (1986) placed W estralicrania 
allani Cockbain, 1966 in the genus Danocrania 
because of the pustulose nature of the exterior and 
the apparent tuberculate interior. Neither the type 
material of W estralicrania allani, originally 
described from the Pirie Calcarenite (now referred 
to as part of the Cardabia Formation of Middle 
Paleocene age [Hocking el al. 1987]), Denham, 
Peron Peninsula, Shark Bay, of Western Australia, 
nor the new species herein described from the 
Nanarup Limestone in southwest Australia, fit the 
generic diagnosis of Danocrania. This is because the 
